Printed from https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/suicide_and_attempted_suicide_du?utm_campaign=alaveteli-experiments-87&utm_content=sidebar_similar_requests&utm_medium=link&utm_source=whatdotheyknow on December 14, 2017 02:21

I would like to request all recorded information that you and/or your contractors have relating to the number of Incapacity benefit claimants or people claiming employment and support allowance (ESA) that have committed suicide, or attempted to commit suicide, following notification of the requirement for them to attend an Atos Medical Examination and/or a work capability assessment (WCA.

Also the number that have committed suicide, or attempted to commit suicide, after being removed from the benefit they were formally receiving following attending an Atos Medical Examination and/or a work capability assessment (WCA.

Yours faithfully,

Mr Taylor

DWP Adelphi Freedom-of-Information-Request,
Department for Work and Pensions
8 February 2011

This is an automated confirmation that your request for information has
been received at the DWP Central FoI Team.

We will forward your request to the relevant information owner within the
Department who will respond to you direct.

Should you also have any further queries in connection with this request
do please contact us.

For further information on the Freedom of Information Act within DWP
please click on the link below.

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Department for Work and Pensions's handling of my FOI request 'Suicide and attempted suicide due to Atos Medical Examination'.

In your brief response you state: "In answer to your questions I can advise that the Department does not hold any statistics relating to your enquiries"

I actual requested ALL RECORDED INFORMATION that you and/or your contractors have relating to the number of Incapacity benefit claimants or people claiming employment and support allowance (ESA) that have committed suicide, or attempted to commit suicide,
following notification of the requirement for them to attend an Atos Medical Examination and/or a work capability assessment (WCA.

Could you please state whether you or your contractors hold ANY information requested and if so supply it at your earliest possible convenience.

DWP Adelphi Freedom-of-Information-Request,
Department for Work and Pensions
30 March 2011

Dear Mr Taylor,

Thank you for your Freedom of Information request dated 7 March 2011
that was received by DWP Adelphi and forwarded for me to respond to in
my role as the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Commercial
Management of Medical Services Internal Reviewing Officer. You asked:-

Dear Department for Work and Pensions,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of
Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Department for Work
and Pensions' handling of my FOI request 'Suicide and attempted
suicide due to Atos Medical Examination'.

In your brief response you state: "In answer to your questions I
can advise that the Department does not hold any statistics
relating to your enquiries"

I actual requested ALL RECORDED INFORMATION that you and/or your
contractors have relating to the number of Incapacity benefit
claimants or people claiming employment and support allowance (ESA)
that have committed suicide, or attempted to commit suicide,
following notification of the requirement for them to attend an
Atos Medical Examination and/or a work capability assessment (WCA.

Could you please state whether you or your contractors hold ANY
information requested and if so supply it at your earliest possible
convenience.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is
available on the Internet at this address:

As Reviewing Officer, I have read your email and accepted this as a
request for an Internal Review in order to assess whether the
information sent to you clearly and accurately answered your request. I
have therefore conducted a full investigation into your original request
and the information supplied to you. I have also reviewed any decisions
to withhold information and in doing so I have fully considered the
public interest in disclosure.

I am satisfied that the original response dated 04 March 2011 was
correct, in that the Department does not hold any information regarding
the numbers of Incapacity Benefit/Employment and Support Allowance
customers that have committed suicide, or attempted to commit suicide,
following notification of the requirement for them to attend an Atos
Healthcare medical assessment and/or a work capability assessment (WCA).
If you have any queries about this letter please contact me quoting the
reference number above.
Yours sincerely,

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review you may
apply directly to the Information Commissioner's Office for a decision.
Generally the Commissioner cannot make a decision unless you have
exhausted our own complaints procedure. The Information Commissioner can
be contacted at: The Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House,
Water Lane, Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AF www.ico.gov.uk

In my previous request for a review I specified that I required ALL RECORDED INFORMATION that you and/or your contractors have relating to the number of Incapacity benefit claimants or people claiming employment and support allowance (ESA) that have committed suicide, or attempted to commit suicide, following notification of the requirement for them to attend an Atos Medical Examination and/or a work capability assessment (WCA).

You stated in response to that request for a review:

"I am satisfied that the original response dated 04 March 2011 was correct, in that the Department does not hold any information regarding the numbers of Incapacity Benefit/Employment and Support Allowance
customers that have committed suicide, or attempted to commit suicide, following notification of the requirement for them to attend an Atos Healthcare medical assessment and/or a work capability assessment (WCA). If you have any queries about this letter please contact me quoting the reference number above."

On the 1 June the BBC website published an article about incapacity benefit changes and suicide http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-13... It appears that despite your earlier response to my request and the review that you and/or your contractors did not have information relating to the number of Incapacity benefit claimants or people claiming employment and support allowance (ESA) that have committed suicide, or attempted to commit suicide, following notification of the requirement for them to attend an Atos Medical Examination and/or a work capability assessment (WCA) that you did indeed have this information.

Why have I not been supplied with that information?

The DWP and Atos must be paid a great deal of money to implement such misery and despair in fellow human beings, what price humanity?

Yours sincerely,

Mr Taylor

DWP Adelphi Freedom-of-Information-Request,
Department for Work and Pensions
5 June 2011

This is an automated confirmation that your request for information has
been received at the DWP Central FoI Team.

We will forward your request to the relevant information owner within the
Department who will respond to you direct.

Should you also have any further queries in connection with this request
do please contact us.

For further information on the Freedom of Information Act within DWP
please click on the link below.

I think that in replying top you, the DWP are at best guilty of dissembling.

They have, by recorded delivery, been advised of several deaths.

Does anyone know what the penalties under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 are for issuing defective, wrong or misleading replies uder this statute?

Best regards,

Calum

The information the DWP FAILED to provide you with by law, and which is on a free public website can be found at....

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Department for Work and Pension's handling of my FOI request 'Suicide and attempted suicide due to Atos Medical Examination'.

It has come to my attention that the DWP and/or your contractor ATOS do have in their possession information relevant to my request.

It appears that despite your earlier response to my request and the review that you and/or your contractors did not have information relating to the number of Incapacity benefit claimants or people claiming employment and support allowance (ESA) that have committed suicide, or attempted to commit suicide, following notification of the requirement for them to attend an Atos Medical Examination and/or a work capability assessment (WCA) that you did indeed have relevant information.

Here is a list of vulnerable people who took their own lives related to having medical tests, awaiting medical test, withdrawal of benefits related to medical tests. etc.

And finally the gentleman, whose relatives did not want him named, who was dismayed to find his benefit claim rejected, he had appealed against the decision, and won at tribunal. But shortly after that decision, he was called in for another assessment, and for a second time scored zero points and was told he did not qualify for the benefit. He began appealing against the decision again, but a few days before another tribunal date was set, he hanged himself. This tragic circumstance resulted in a serious incident review being carried out by the local jobcentre, which concluded: "We need to review the WCA and appeal process to take the needs of our vulnerable customers into account."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/...

I would like a categorical statement of whether or not the DWP and/or your contractor ATOS were aware of any/all of the people/incidents contained in the list above, which are clearly relevant to my information request. And if so an explanation of why I have been informed otherwise.

I also require an explanation of why I have continually not been supplied with the information I have lawfully requested, and am lawfully entitled to, under the FOI Act?

Again I state: The DWP and Atos must be paid a great deal of money to implement such misery and despair in fellow human beings, what price humanity?

The office of National statistics conveniently stopped recording suicide rates and the last figures on their website are for 2009 at the latest, although previous figures did show an increase in the number of reported deaths.http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/taxonomy/searc...

The Gov is reluctant to show how their harsh and inhumane approach to remove the sick and disabled from benefits,are causing an increase in suicide deaths and no records for attempted suicide exist. The only conclusion we can draw from their refusal to be honest and upfront with this issue is, because they do not want us to know the extent of the harm which they alone are responsible. We must deduce the numbers are high otherwise, why all the 'cloak and dagger' treatment! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics..."We are working towards a culture where openess and transparency become core operating principles of our public services,..." Means nothing at all, just another empty speech we have become accustomed to from the current leaders of Government, who should be held accountable for their actions.

I think you may like to review your original FOI request made, in light of the fact that DWP Minister of State Chris Grayling wrote that his DWP department HAD/HAVE statistics on the subject that was also contained within your FOI request.

Dont let them have the satisfaction of grinding you down.If you are depressed (and lets face it, who wouldn't be when having to deal with DWP/Atos), there is support from many forums who have members joining together to fight back. dwpexaminations.blacktrianglecampaign.orgwhywaitforever.comhttp://blacktrianglecampaign.org/http://www.abcofesa.co.uk/and many others.Talk to someone when you are really low, 08457 09 90 90 Samaritans0845 24 24 24 NHS0800 83 85 87 Breathing space

Mr Smith - there is also www.benefitsandwork,co.uk which I found immenseley helpful when I was in your shoes. I also recommend you contact your local area Welfare Rights Office, who were also extremely helpful to me. Good luck and please, whatever you do, DON'T GIVE UP!